The End of Innocence
by Meri Umeko
Summary: HAITUS. Last part of the "Elva" trilogy. Sequel to Beginning of the End and Good Things Aren't Meant to Last. Picks off five months after BOTE. Rated M for content. PLEASE REVIEW.
1. A Little Problem

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own **_**Naruto.**_** It was created by and belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

Elva knew it shouldn't shock her that much anymore, her little problem. That was what she called it – her little problem. She should be used to it now, but she wasn't. Not even close. It still shocked her whenever she looked at herself in mirror, whenever she caught her own reflection. No one else seemed to notice the changes – or at least they never mentioned them. But Elva always noticed them.

Today was the morning she had finally decided to tell Konohamaru. It had to be done eventually, after all. Her little problem wasn't going to solve itself, and she definitely wasn't going to be able to do it alone. There wasn't that much time left, anyway, and she was running out of weeks. Of days. Somehow, she had found a way to hide it for five months, to the day. She was exactly sixteen years old and five months. And she knew she had to tell Konohamaru soon.

She owed a lot of the reason she was able to keep it hidden for so long to the countless sweatshirts and oversized sweaters that had been Itachi's, that she had taken with her when she left Akatsuki. It had gotten harder and harder as her little problem got more of a problem to conceal. She had been forced to distance herself from Konohamaru. She hardly ever kissed him anymore, afraid she would get carried away. It killed her that she couldn't be as close with him anymore.

So she had finally decided to tell him. She still wasn't exactly sure what she was going to do, but she supposed she would wing it when she got to his house. Sighing, she sat down at the table and picked up her peach-colored cell phone and slid it open, dialing Konohamaru's number. She had memorized it quickly, calling him nearly every hour during the first few weeks. Then she had started being more and more distant when she realized she was late.

Elva was worried her heart was going to sound like it was pounding out of her chest when he answered, it was beating so loudly. She was so nervous, she almost wanted to tell him over the phone rather than in person. But she couldn't ever do that. She didn't want to hurt him any more than he might already be. On the second ring he picked up.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked, sounding like he knew who it was. He probably did, he most definitely did. They talked every day on the phone, especially ever since Elva had stopped wanting to be with him every day. It's not that she didn't want to be with him. She was just afraid to get too close to him.

Elva hadn't expected herself to get emotional about it all, but she could feel her eyes filling with tears as she forced herself to speak. "Can I come over?" she asked, her voice cracking awkwardly in too many places.

There was a brief pause. "Sure, of course," Konohamaru answered quickly, instantly sounding concerned. He began to ask what was wrong, but Elva hung up, leaving the phone on the table as she finished getting ready. She didn't want to have to talk to him on the walk over to his house.

She slipped on a comfortable pair of sneakers and went to her room, rummaging through her closet for a jacket. Even though it was only October, and the weather in Konoha was normally very mild, a cold spell had hit a few days ago. Lucky for Elva, it just meant an opportunity for more coverage. After finding a thick, parka-type gray coat, she headed out the door and downstairs.

Elva hated having to leave the apartment now, but not just because of how she looked. She hated running into Moegi down in the lobby. She had needed a job when Udon had left to continue his training off in some other village for six months, and had taken over his shift. Conveniently, though, that shift happened to exist whenever Elva needed to leave the building. She hated every time she had to look at her, and see just how much Moegi despised her. And she didn't even quite know why.

To her luck, Moegi wasn't down there. Elva felt her tensed muscles relax, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She ignored the stare of the awkward, pimple-faced teenager who was behind the counter, and hurried outside. She was met by a rush of cold air when she got outside. It was very refreshing, and it only made her feel better about wearing the jacket. It seemed normal enough, didn't it?

Even though she tried to make herself as slow as she could, she still got to his house way too fast. She paused in front, collecting her thoughts, before she went up to the door and knocked tentatively. Almost immediately, the door swung open, and Konohamaru was standing there, smiling brightly at Elva. His eyes, though, were filled with concern. Elva felt a jolt of guilt run through her.

She stepped in silently, trying to return the smile. She guessed it probably came out more as a grimace than a smile. Then, without any notification, Konohamaru was behind her, starting to take off her jacket. She tensed, trying to step away from him. She could hear the frown in his voice when he spoke this time. "What's wrong?" he asked. "We have our heating on. You'll be scorching."

Even with the door open, Elva was starting to feel the effects of the indoor heating. She bit her lip, still facing away from him, and looked up the stairs. "…is anyone home?" she asked, now turning around to look at him. He shook his head, looking confused. "Can you close the door?" she added quietly, looking away from him to the wall next to him. It was easier to look at.

She heard the door click closed, and she started slipping off her jacket, hands shaking. She felt so exposed suddenly, dropping the jacket to the floor, feeling her baby tee stretching against her swollen stomach. Without the jacket, she felt so…_pregnant_. She crossed her arms across her stomach, as if she could hide it, and dropped her gaze all the way to the floor.

In the silence that followed, Elva could only imagine what Konohamaru must have been thinking. Probably what she thought in the first few months, as she watched _her little problem_ getting more and more visible. It wasn't possible. She was sixteen. It wasn't right. There had to be some mistake. She couldn't be pregnant. It just wasn't possible. At the thought, Elva's hand absent-mindedly went to her lower abdomen, a habit that was increasingly disturbing her. It seemed to be such a natural move to do, even when she didn't want to do it.

She couldn't tell how long it had been. She couldn't tell if time had literally slowed down, and it had only been ten seconds, or if it was still normal and three minutes had already passed in the dead silence. After what seemed like forever, Elva looked up at Konohamaru, and sighed, regretting waiting so long to tell him.

His head was bent down, his hands on either side of his face, breathing heavily, laboriously. Elva couldn't tell if he was having a mental breakdown or if he was furious. She didn't really want to know which one. They were both bad enough. She did need to say something, though. Probably. "Are you okay?" she asked softly, trying not to startle him.

He seemed to attempt to suck it up, and pulled himself into an upright standing position. He didn't look at Elva's face, instead looking straight at her stomach. It didn't make her feet better, especially that he seemed to cringe away from it when he saw it. "…I am _so_ sorry," he breathed out, eyes wide in shock.

Elva felt like the breath had been knocked out of her. She definitely hadn't been expecting that. Maybe anger, a little insanity perhaps, not for him to be guilty. Sure, it made sense, but she hadn't prepared for it. When she finally regained use of her voice, she frowned. "It's not your fault," she insisted, feeling horrible again for not telling him sooner.

"Why are you saying that, Elva?" he demanded, groaning. He seemed to resist the urge to hold his head again. "Of course it's all my fault. I…I took advantage of you that one night, and I knew it. I took the first chance I got to make you…" He shuddered, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"But you don't understand," Elva continued. "I _let _you do everything. I-I…" She stumbled over her words, not sure how to express herself. "It's really not your fault, Konohamaru. It can't be. _I'm_ the one who's pregnant, not you. It has to be my fault."

Konohamaru winced at the mention of Elva's little problem. "Don't say that word," he groaned again, sighing deeply. "I…how am I supposed to tell Kurenai? She'll kick me out," he muttered, mostly to himself now. Elva knew she probably shouldn't say something, but she at least had a type of solution.

"I have a double bed," she pointed out quietly, but she could tell by the look on his face that it wasn't helping. She sighed. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, looking at the floor again.

"No, I appreciate the offer," he said quickly, then paused. "I just can't imagine sleeping next to you every night and _not_ trying to pull something again." There was a longer pause this time, and right before Elva was going to speak, he spoke up again, now looking worried. "Have you told Sasuke?"

"I was going to tell him tonight," Elva said, like she had rehearsed the line hundreds of times. She had been prepared for the question. It was one of the ones she had most been dreading. "I was afraid to tell him before I told you. I was going to ask you if…" She paused, not sure if she should ask it of him. "…if maybe you would come with me tonight when I tell him."

"Of course I will," Konohamaru answered automatically. The seconds ticked by as he suddenly realized who they would be talking to, what he was capable of, and how protective he was of Elva. "…he's not going to try to kill me, is he?"

"No, I'm sure he won't," she reassured him. "I mean…he wouldn't kill the father of…" She trailed off, seeing him anticipate the next word and already wince. "Sorry," she said quickly, sighing. "I'm not used to the terminology yet, either."

There was another silence now, and then Konohamaru said, "…so how do you think you're going to tell him?" He seemed to be trying to act normal – that Elva appreciated. But he was still staring at her stomach, not her. That bothered her. He hadn't looked from it in forever.

"I don't know," Elva muttered miserably, rolling her eyes. "He'll kill me, I swear. He won't care that Kisame will kill _him_…" She trailed off, then groaned, covering her face with her hands. "What about _Kisame_?" she yelled, sounding genuinely tortured.

"What do you mean?" she heard Konohamaru ask. "What _about_ Kisame?"

"I'm going to have to tell him about…" Elva sighed, resting both hands on her abdomen now. She made a face, disgusted. "This _thing_." Her shoulders drooped, and suddenly she was exhausted. She had way too many things that she had to worry about right then. Planning out her words carefully, she began to speak softly.

"If Kisame finds out…_when_ he finds out, really," she corrected herself, "he's going to make me come back, Konohamaru. He'll make me go back to Akatsuki. There's no way he'll let me stay in Konoha. And…" A pained look came across her face. "He's going to try to kill you. Sasuke won't – he wouldn't do that to me, I don't really think. But Kisame…he _will_, Konohamaru." She said it with absolute certainty, but with heavy anguish, as well.

Before Konohamaru could get in a few words, Elva continued. "You…can't come with me tonight. I don't think you can, at least. I want you to, don't get me wrong. But if Sasuke gets the chance…I'm afraid he'll take me to Akatsuki _tonight_, right after I tell him. And if you're there, too, he'll make you come, too."

"So I will," Konohamaru responded firmly. "I don't want to leave you, Elva. I can't." He paused, then smiled softly. "I—"

"Love me," Elva finished, sighing again. "I know. And you know I love you, too. I can't stand being away from you, not even the thought of it. But please, don't come tonight. The second Kisame finds out, he'll be furious. There's no way I would ever be able to come back," she finished, her voice very nearly breaking near the end.

Konohamaru seemed to be thinking very hard when he took a pause then. Suddenly, a light bulb seemed to go off over his head. "Hospitals." When Elva stared at him, clueless, he continued. "You need a doctor, Elva. I doubt any of Akatsuki are doctors. You need to be in a hospital when you give birth. Konoha has your records. They'll want you to be _here_."

"They'll just take me to another town," Elva pointed out. "They have a copy of my records at Akatsuki – I found them once. They'll just change the place of birth and send me to Suna or something. A village that big won't ask many questions about where I came from. They'll take the documents as enough proof."

"Yeah, but you need a doctor _now_," Konohamaru continued. "I mean, you're…five months along, right?" She nodded. "Exactly. You need to be seeing a doctor regularly, to make sure the…_baby _is…healthy." He winced at the word. Then he paused, looking at Elva curiously. "You _have_ been seeing a doctor, haven't you?"

Elva scoffed. "Are you kidding? Why would I want anyone to know that I'm pregnant at sixteen?" she exclaimed, acting like it was the most ridiculous thing on Earth.

Konohamaru groaned, shaking his head. "Elva, you don't get it. How did you find out you were pregnant in the first place? You didn't take any tests? You didn't go to the doctor?" he pressed, frowning.

"No," Elva replied, shrugging. "I didn't want any help. I found out when _this_ started happening," she said, gesturing down to her swollen stomach. "I mean, I'd been guessing before, but it became pretty obvious when I started getting bigger. Besides, gossip spreads through Konoha like wildfire. You know that. One minute I buy an at-home pregnancy test at the pharmacist, the next I'm having twelve different affairs with different men from different villages who are old enough to be my fathers!"

Konohamaru was silent for a moment, then allowed it, shrugging. "The gossip you're right about. But Elva, really, you need to see a doctor about this. They have a doctor-patient confidentiality thing, remember?" He paused, then winced again. "Either way…don't you think everyone else is going to start noticing soon?"

Elva rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest. "Not if I'm sent back to Akatsuki," she muttered. She was surprised at her sudden willingness to leave, and knew Konohamaru would feel likewise. She refused to look at him, though, and instead sighed, letting her hands fall back to her sides. "I'm sorry. I just really don't want anyone to know. Even though I know everyone will eventually."

Konohamaru nodded, remaining silent. Then, all of a sudden, Toru came bounding through the unlocked front door, and they could both hear Kurenai walking up the steps toward the door. Elva bent down quickly and grabbed her coat, slipping it on as fast as she could. Before Kurenai came in, she leaned forward and kissed Konohamaru on the cheek, starting for the door.

Of course, though, they would get caught. Just as Kurenai walked in, Toru started screaming at the top of his lungs. "Konohamaru and Elva sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes baby, then comes marriage in a…" He sang, but slowly faded away when he realized he didn't know what came next. Then he shrugged, giving up and hurrying into the living room to turn on the television.

Kurenai walked in, raising an eyebrow. She glanced at Elva, seeming to force a smile. "Nice to see you around here, Elva," she said slowly. "I hope everything's all right." She continued on into the kitchen without another word, setting Elva on edge.

She looked at Konohamaru, whispering fiercely. "Does she know?"

Konohamaru shook his head, disagreeing vehemently. "She can't possibly," he responded in the same volume. "She just probably means that, since you haven't been here in a while, that it doesn't mean you're coming for a bad reason." He shrugged, then, like he was changing his mind. Like he was unsure.

Elva sighed, but let the subject drop. "Well, I'm going to go," she said softly, and this time before she could leave, Konohamaru lifted her chin and kissed her gently on the lips. Just at this small touch, Elva thought she would faint. She had forgotten how amazing it always felt to be with Konohamaru. She smiled, then headed outside.

It wasn't until the cold hit her again, with it's icy clarity, that she started to get her mind working again. She thought about everything that had just happened, and then thought about Toru coming in. And his song…

_Toru started screaming at the top of his lungs. "Konohamaru and Elva sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes baby, then comes marriage in a…" He sang, but slowly faded away when he realized he didn't know what came next._

That was how he had always sung it, from what she remembered. Frowning, Elva stuck her hands in her pockets, musing to herself just how right Toru's little musical error had been.

**Author's Note:**

_**Sasori-Chibi **_Haha, don't worry, you'll be hearing from dear old Kisame soon enough. I took a little break from writing him into the fanfic during _Beginning of the End_, as you probably noticed. But he'll be in this one, at least for a little while. I'm not sure yet…

_**AliKatNyah **_OMG, YOU LIKED THE CHAPTER?? Good. I thought I was going to disturb you all! Well, I'm glad at least you were sane enough at the end to review, lol! I love the Quest for the Holy Grail. It's like "Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?" "…they could be carried." LOL.

_**The Commander**_ It's okay!! I would give you a lollipop, but every time I try, it seems to not go through my computer scene. Go figure. But it's okay. One day I'm sure you'll have another lollipop. I hope the last chapter didn't freak you out, haha. You seemed a bit weirded out in the review, but I couldn't be sure.

**I hope no one is freakishly disturbed by this chapter, and the idea for the fanfiction. If y'all are, PLEASE TELL ME, and I'll stop writing it. I don't want to lose respect, lol, but if you didn't like it, then I probably already have.**

**Anyway, I'm exhausted, so I dunno what to rant about.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!**

**-Meri Umeko-**


	2. Out With the Truth

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own **_**Naruto.**_** It was created by and belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Really, why can't I just not meet him tonight?" Elva argued, crossing her arms. "I mean, honestly…he's just going to be angry. And if I don't go tonight, then you don't have to go, either," she pointed out, knowing it would sound more appealing that way to Konohamaru. He seemed unmoved. "Please?" she finally tried, whining.

Konohamaru gave her a look. "Keep going," he said, obviously trying to sound stronger, though Elva could tell he wanted to do this even less than she did. "It'll be over before you know it. It'll make you feel better," he encouraged, taking her hand and squeezing it. "He might let you stay. He might not even tell Kisame. You won't know unless you tell him."

"…I really appreciate you coming, Konohamaru," she said after a moment, quieter now. "But…you don't know Sasuke. He…maybe, _maybe_ if I had told him when I was…I don't know…two or three months along…he might have just made me get rid of it and brought me back to Akatsuki." She paused, then sighed. "He'll be furious. I mean, he'll understand why I waited this long."

Konohamaru glanced at Elva for a moment, frowning. "Why _did_ you wait this long?" he asked, confused. He apparently hadn't thought to ask it until then.

"Well…because…" Elva faltered, having to stop to think. She had thought about it before, but had never planned on telling Konohamaru about it so soon. "Wouldn't it be obvious?" she started over. "I mean, if I didn't get rid of it by now…it means I'm not…getting rid of it," she finally finished, coming out differently than she had planned.

Konohamaru understood, just the same. He was silent for several long seconds, then cleared his throat, looking back at the ground. "So you want to keep it." It wasn't a question. He got what Elva was saying, perfectly. Elva sighed, unable to accurately judge his reaction. It frustrated her.

"I guess," she mumbled, her tone a bit rougher now. They were just walking out of the gates and into the forest when she stopped again. "Do we have to?" she asked again, putting up one last fight.

"Yes," Konohamaru insisted, getting a better grip on her arm and pulling her along this time. When they had returned to a normal pace, he suddenly pulled away from Elva, putting his hands in his pockets. Elva realized then how awkward the atmosphere had become, now that he knew that she planned to keep the baby.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, kicking a rock down the path. She crossed her arms again. "I guess if you want to give it up for adoption, we can." She paused again, then her tone changed. "I really am sorry," she repeated, now much softer and gentler. "I'm so used to thinking about…everything that…I guess I'm forgetting too easily that you just found out." She groaned. "I should have told you sooner."

"I wish you had," Konohamaru agreed, still not moving toward her or even looking at her. "I really just need time to think, Elva." He forced a laugh. "It is a lot to take in, you know."

"Yeah, I'd imagine so," Elva replied, trailing off to a whisper. They were almost to the clearing. She had the urge to turn around and go back to Konoha, but if she did now, Sasuke might hear. And if Konohamaru or her talked anymore, he might hear it, too.

Konohamaru started to say something, but then all of a sudden they were in the clearing, and he fell silent. Elva self-consciously pulled her jacket closer, fidgeting uncomfortably. She was surprised that Sasuke wasn't there already, but something about him not being there set her on edge, even more than she might have been already.

A few minutes had already passed. Elva was about to ask Konohamaru had heard anything that she hadn't when Sasuke walked out of the trees in front of them, staring straight at Konohamaru, red eyes glinting dangerously. Addressing Elva, yet his eyes never leaving Konohamaru, he demanded, "What is _he_ doing here?"

Elva hadn't regretted anything so much in her entire life. Or in her entire life so far. Tonight would be a night for records, with all the things she would have to say. But right now she had to act fast, to get Konohamaru away from Sasuke. If he was this angry _before_ he knew Elva was pregnant, she didn't want to know what would happen after he found out.

"Nothing. He just came with me," Elva said quickly, stepping toward Sasuke. He still didn't look at her, but Konohamaru looked at Elva for a second, looking confused. She continued. "Really, you should learn to control your anger more." She tried to sound joking, calmer. At ease. But those emotions were hard to fake right then. "He'll leave if you want."

Sasuke seemed to relax a bit more, like he had been expecting something else, and glanced at Elva for a moment, eyes narrowed. Konohamaru was now frowning at Elva, looking hopelessly lost now. He was about to speak up when Elva spoke up again. "Konohamaru, you can go now," she said, forcing a laugh at his expression for good measure. After a few heavy moments, he turned and started away. Elva could hear him start to run once he was out of sight.

Although Sasuke was still tense, he seemed to at least try to relax. "…what _was_ he doing here, Elva?" he asked, his eyes still narrowed.

_Great,_ Elva thought bitterly to herself. _He's suspicious. Perfect. _ "He just walked me here," she repeated. "That's all." She paused, then when Sasuke seemed unconvinced, sighed, trying to act annoyed now. "I told you we broke up, remember?"

And she had, the first time she had seen him after her birthday. She had decided it was better, for both her and Konohamaru's sake, if Sasuke thought that. And he had seemed convinced at the time. Konohamaru tagging along with Elva probably hadn't been the best idea, she reminded herself. "I remember," Sasuke finally muttered. He was silent for a moment, then asked, "What have you been up to this week?"

It was a question Elva was used to, having answered it every week since she had returned to Konoha, nearly six months ago. "I don't know. What are you going to tell Kisame?" she responded, raising an eyebrow at him. He at least seemed amused. Elva reminded herself not to beat around the bush. She had to tell him tonight – if she didn't, she would just keep putting it off. And he would find out sooner or later.

"The usual. That you're being a good girl and doing everything you're told." Now Sasuke paused again, looking at Elva more closely. "…is anything wrong?" he suddenly asked, surprising her. She could feel the blood rush to her cheeks, and mentally cursed whoever had given her the blushing gene.

To her continued surprise, he laughed. "What is it?" he asked again, laughing suddenly. He seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself. "Woman problems?" Elva stared at him, unsure whether to find it funny just how close he was or to be scared. She had never seen him laugh this hard – she had hardly ever seen him laugh at all.

When his laughter finally died down, she cleared her throat, embarrassed at the sudden silence. "Um, sort of," she mumbled, looking at the ground. Sasuke obviously heard the nervous tone in her voice, because they were suddenly back where they had started, with Sasuke suspicious.

"What's wrong?" he asked again, frowning. There was no doubt in Elva's mind that he would dismiss anything along the lines with 'I'm fine' anymore. He meant business. She continued staring at the forest floor, swallowing hard. She had to say it eventually.

She hadn't expected herself to be so emotional when she had told Sasuke, but the moment she met his gaze, she broke down in tears. "I'm sorry!" she shouted, falling to her knees. That's all she kept saying, over and over, how sorry she was. She hugged her knees to her chest as tightly as she could, unable to stop the flow of tears.

She felt more like a child than she had in years. What made it worse was the irony of it all, that she would feel so much like a child when all she needed was to grow up. That only made her cry more. Sasuke was next to her, kneeling down. It was obvious that he didn't know what to do, whether to hold her, or stay away, or anything.

Before she knew it, Elva heard Sasuke close by saying, "It's okay, Elva. I promise I won't be angry. Just tell me what it is." Every time he repeated that, it brought on another flow of tears. Elva heard every word laced with sincerity, and dreaded how quickly his promise not to be angry would be broken once he knew what was wrong.

They sat there for what seemed like forever while Elva kept on crying and crying. She was trying to calm herself down. Sasuke sat beside her, patient as ever, waiting for her to calm down. Finally, after five or so minutes of pure crying had passed, Sasuke sighed. "Elva, please tell me what's wrong," he said gently, hesitantly putting a hand on her shoulder. "I promise I won't be angry."

Still crying, Elva forced herself to look up at Sasuke. He did look genuinely concerned, but what surprised Elva most of all was that his eyes were normal. He wasn't using the Sharingan. He _trusted_ her. As the tears starting flowing anew, Elva forced it out. "I'm pregnant," she said, forcing herself to keep looking at him. When he stood up and tore his gaze from hers, pacing, she got up, too.

"I knew you would be angry," she accused, hands curling into fists. "And I'm sorry. I'm _so_ sorry. I'm sorry I waited this long to tell you," she said, tears still falling.

Then Sasuke stopped, turning to her again. "…this long?" he repeated, eyes narrowing, glowing red all of a sudden. "How long is _this long_?" he shouted, glaring at her.

Elva dropped her eyes to the ground again. "Five months." She heard him sigh, heard his pacing resume again, but couldn't bear to look at him again. She wanted to apologize again, but didn't know how else to express how sorry she was. "…I should have told you earlier. I know I should've. I am _such_ an idiot," Elva muttered.

"You are," she heard him reply. He was in front of her again now, but she didn't look at him. "…do you have anything else to say?" he asked, his tone emotionless now. After a few seconds had passed, she shook her head. She didn't trust herself to say anything else that would only make the situation worse.

He sighed again, then moved closer to Elva. Before she knew it, he was holding her newlywed-style, but it struck Elva as more like a baby than anything. She didn't try to stop him as he started away from the clearing at top speed, toward Akatsuki. She could only think that, so it would seem, Konohamaru was the least of his worries as of now.

As if he were reading her mind, Sasuke muttered, "Don't think everything's fine just yet, Elva. One thing is for sure. When Kisame finds out, he's going to see to it that you're miserable for the rest of your life."

He didn't say anything else for the rest of the trip. He never slowed down once, never once stopping to make sure he was going the right way. Of course he was going the right way. He should be used to the way to and from Konoha by now. Elva didn't get any sleep the way there. Finally, though, Sasuke dropped her to her feet, muttering to her to walk from there.

Elva had hardly ever been outside of Akatsuki at night, and only just recognized the river in the moonlight. She sighed, holding her jacket around her tighter, as she started to cross the river. The rocks that had been there for nearly six years, that had made Elva sprain her ankle once when she was ten, were still there. She was nearly halfway across when a figure appeared in the entrance to the hideout.

"Hello, Kisame," Sasuke called out, still on the bank on the other side of the river. No doubt was he going on patrol around Akatsuki's boarders, Elva recalled, like he always did with his small team. Kisame came out further, frowning at Elva. It took him a moment to discern that it wasn't Sasuke on the rocks. Then he smiled broadly.

He was about to rush out to greet her when he noticed her downcast expression. "What's wrong?" he asked, stepping out toward her. Elva immediately looked away, over her shoulder at Sasuke. She had to tell him, now, before Sasuke did.

But Sasuke was already speaking, smiling at them. "Well, you see, Kisame, Elva's—"

Elva cut him off, looking back at Kisame. "Pregnant," she said softly, wincing.

**Author's Note:**

_**Sasori-Chibi **_ Lol, glad you like babies! Sometimes I stay up late at night wondering how some people have the guts to HATE babies. And then there are all of those dead baby jokes. I HATE THEM. Except the first time I heard one, it took me FOREVER to get it. This guy was all, "What's worse – ten dead babies nailed to one tree or one dead baby nailed to ten trees?" And I just stood there for forever until I was suddenly like, "OMIGAWD, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

_**AliKatNyah **_ Lol. Yeah…hehe. If Elva isn't murdered in the next few chapters, Konohamaru's gonna have to run for it. NUUU! Don't be late for the mall!! That is so…I dunno. UNTEENAGER OF YOU. Lol!! Aw, I've always wanted a younger brother. I mean, sometimes…then there are times when I look at all of my cousins that are guys (all are younger except for…two…or…no. Three plus one step cousin…I DON'T KNOW. I HAVE LIKE FIFTY FIRST COUSINS). They're all evil.

_**The Commander**_ Lol, yeah. Elva's only hope was that Sasuke would have gotten past his "uncle-ly" phase, but he obviously didn't…yes, that she is in. Man, she's gonna get herself killed one of these days…I've always wondered what it would be like to kill off Elva…and if I would have the guts to do that…OMG. SOMEONE SHOULD DIE IN THIS STORY!! Haha. Spoiler alert?? Not that I know of…

_**Valbino **_Lol, it's fine!! It's okay if y'all don't review, really!! All of that missing-person-report stuff was just me ranting. It's one of those things that I HAVE to do before I die. Like, you know… "File a missing person's report, sell something on the black market, push someone off a cliff." NORMAL KINDS OF STUFF.

_**Joseph33759**_ Remind you NOT to think? Okay. DON'T THINK. (That was easy!!) Gee, thanks. I thought I would be sending everyone running for the hills, that was such a bad chapter. Maybe not… Wait. Like you…who WERE ready for parenthood? ARE YOU A DAD? I mean…not meaning to pry into your personal life… And sorry, but I made a bet with one of my friends that whoever got another HEX account first (or EVER, really) would have to pay the other five bucks every time they logged on.

**Ahem. NAOUGH. (That was my spelling of "now" if Arnold Schwarzzenager...Schawarzinager…HOWEVER YOU SPELL HIS NAME…said it.) I'm sick today. Ew. Like, flu-sick. It's kind of ironic, because two days ago my dad's all "So, are you gonna get a flu shot?" and I'm like "Psh. No way. I never get the flu."**

**KARMAAAAAAAAAAAA.**

**Anyway. What has been going on in my life that has been keeping me from this fanfiction for almost two weeks? I'll tell you what (here comes a wee bit of personal-life ranting for you!!).**

**School. Augh. My stupid biology teacher…well, she's not REALLY our teacher. She's a student teacher – and a REALLY bad one at that! – who thinks she knows everything about biology YET DOESN'T. So everyone in my class is doing badly, and there's a test Friday, so I've been studying like mad, trying to relearn everything she's taught us over the past three weeks.**

**School (again!). It just thinks it's soooo cool!! I mean, it doesn't give me a ton of homework Monday through Wednesday, and not even on Friday, but THURSDAY. My busiest day, where I leave for school at seven in the morning and finally get home with time to do my homework at TEN AT NIGHT. Wow-za. So that's no slice of pie.**

**Theater (fun, yet time-consuming!). My theater's doing "Charlotte's Web," and even though I'm not in it, I'm the ASM. That's the Assistant Stage Manager, for all you non-theater junkies out there! Anyway…um…what was I going to say? OH, RIGHT!! So, I'm busy Monday through Thursday from seven to nine at night, and then Saturday's three to five AFTER my other theater job, which is from one to three.**

**YAY, HOMECOMING'S THIS SATURDAY! (Reeeally random outburst, I know.)**

**Social drama. Who wants drama of the socialness? NO ONE, THAT'S WHO. Yet there's always drama, anyway. So…Joe, I think I've told you about this guy. I was kind of infatuated with him last year (OOH, DO Y'ALL REMEMBER MY A/N IN MY FIRST FANFIC ABOUT HIM ASKING ME OUT TO THE SCHOOL DANCE? Yeah, same guy…pathetic, huh?). **

**So over the summer, he was totally stalking me because of several things…I SAW A PSYCHIATRIST, OKAY?? (Kidding! Kidding! I'm not insane…really…nor do I have any mental…issue. LOL.) And he, like ALWAYS called me, trying to apologize for some reason that…I would…rather not elaborate on. Teehee…**

**WHY DID I JUST LAUGH? Okay, I need to wrap up this A/N, don't I?**

**Anywhoos, to shorten the story, I yelled at him right before school started, and now he's being really mean to me (well, not really). He's not talking to me, ignoring me, yet talking to all of my friends, so I'll be walking along with them, and then all of a sudden he pulls them aside, but will give me the cold shoulder. HE'S MEAN. Not really…**

**Augh, see? I'm very conflicted when it comes to him…and anyway, I hate him, yet I don't, I don't want to see his stupid-ass face ever again, yet I wish we were best friends LIKE WE WERE FOR EIGHT FREAKING YEARS…and…yeah. **

**Social drama SUCKS, to wrap it all up.**

**Haha. Me? BIPOLAR? Why would you say something like THAT?**

**Ha…ha…um, right.**

**REVIEW, PLEASE.**

**-Meri Umeko-**


	3. Safety First

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own **_**Naruto.**_** It was created by and belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

Kisame yanked Elva into his "apartment." Really, it was just a room that had been given to him and Itachi, which consisted of a kitchen area and two small bedrooms. Elva couldn't help but look around the room, even though she knew she should be focusing on how Kisame was reacting to her news. It was definitely messier, that was for sure. Plates, silverware, and even empty cans of food were scattered across the counters and the table. A few shirts were thrown on the ground carelessly. Elva could see through the open door into Kisame's room. She resisted the urge to laugh. It was even worse.

Kisame threw her onto a chair, sending it skidding back a foot or two from the amount of force. Elva rubbed her wrist absentmindedly, feeling the blood beginning to flow into her hand again. She winced when she finally met his gaze, his face the deepest shade of purple she had ever seen, and looked instead at his feet, finding them much more appealing to talk to.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly when Kisame didn't say anything at first. She was too afraid to look up at him again, worried he would explode in rage. Literally. Lucky for Elva, though, something caught her attention. The door shut again. She looked up, confused.

Sasuke was standing at the door, looking between Kisame and Elva repeatedly. Elva was about to ask him why he was there, just to waste more time, when he spoke up, laughing. "Thought I'd get a front row seat," he said, smirking. "This'll be interesting."

Elva's eyes narrowed, and she looked away again, rolling her eyes. _Ass,_ she thought miserably. _Now they're both going to yell at me…or worse. Yeah, with my luck, it'll be worse. They're going to kill me. I am right, aren't I? I'm sure I am._ But then she heard Kisame exhaled, and she looked up again.

He was noticeably less purple, which had to be a good sign, or at least Elva hoped it was. She would love to be wrong. He seemed to be trying to calm himself down. That couldn't be bad, could it? He glanced at Sasuke for a split second, and in that moment Elva realized why he was calming down. She looked at Sasuke, too, and at that minute something confused her.

Was Sasuke…_protecting_ her from Kisame by staying around them? Even if that wasn't his intent, that looked like it was the way Kisame was taking it. Shrugging it off, he looked back down at Elva. The moment he met her gaze again, a new fire sprang into his eyes, his hands clenching tightly at his sides. Elva's eyes widened a fraction of an inch, slightly frightened. _Bipolar much?_ she mused to herself, wanting to be anywhere but in the chair at that moment.

Sasuke shifted noticeably closer, scooting down the wall away from the door. He still kept an amused expression on his face, but there was something about him that was obviously on edge. At that moment, Kisame stopped. He blinked for a second, like an entirely new thought than the one he was about to go off on had occurred to him. He glanced at Sasuke again, then back at Elva, eyes narrowing.

"Who is the father?" Kisame suddenly asked. Elva stared at him, frowning, but refused to say anything. The conversation had started on the one thing she had been mentally begging them not to zero in on. Still, she had been prepared for this question. She wasn't going to answer it, not even if Kisame killed her. Elva knew full well why Kisame wanted a name. As if he would let the father of the child live.

When Sasuke realized that she wasn't planning on answering, he laughed aloud, leaning against the wall with folded arms. "Konohamaru," he said, chuckling. Even though Elva knew he probably wasn't trying to make her feel betrayed, and was only trying to further protect her from Kisame by giving him the name right off the bat, she still did.

Seeing the hurt look on her face, Sasuke laughed again. "What did you think I would do, Elva? Stay out of this? Sure, I let him go before you told me, and was kind enough not to go kill him on the spot after you told me, but that doesn't mean I don't want him dead. By telling Kisame, I'm making sure that he'll die, but at least I won't have done it."

Maybe he is just being an ass. To hell with "protecting" me! Elva exploded in her mind, jumping to her feet. "What is your problem?" Elva demanded. "Why are you doing this? Do you really want me to be miserable?"

"Don't play that card," Kisame shot, advancing toward her a step. She instinctively stepped away, crossing her arms again. She was about to protest, but he continued. "Oh, you don't think that you use that? Are you serious, Elva? Every time you don't get your way, it's 'Do you really hate me that much?' or 'Do you want me to be miserable?' What do you expect someone's response to be when you say that, Elva? Face it. You're just a pathetic, spoiled _brat_."

"And that's _my_ fault?" Elva countered, arms falling back to her sides. "Well, I'm sorry if it is, but I can't see how. _You_—" She gestured at Sasuke roughly, or stood up straight again, frowning now, "—you took one of the only things that was _mine_ when I was a kid. The only thing I had left, at least."

Sasuke scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Really, Elva? You know what? Kisame's right. You _are_ spoiled. How much do I have to apologize for killing Itachi? Yes, I did it. Yes, I realize now that what I did was wrong. Am I not allowed to make one big mistake in my life?"

"What about me?" Elva continued. "You were sixteen when you killed him – I'm sixteen, and I made a big mistake. So why are you so angry at me?" Sasuke was about to speak up again, but she sighed. "No, just be quiet. You know I'm right."

She turned to Kisame now. "You have no right to call me spoiled. Pathetic, sure. I've known that for a long time. If I'm spoiled, it's because of you, Kisame. You were so determined to keep me happy, to keep my mind off of my dad when I was younger, you gave me whatever I wanted. You spoiled me first, so I'm sorry if I'm spoiled now. But stop treating me _like I'm a child_. I'm sick and tired of it! Stop acting like I'm below you in some way!"

"You _are _a child!" Kisame shouted, taking another step closer to Elva. "If you were mature, you wouldn't be in this situation in the first place. If you were an 'adult,' as I think you're hinting at, you would have told Sasuke sooner. So all I see right now is a little girl who's too afraid to grow up!"

Elva stood there for a moment, a smirk suddenly lighting up her face. "…grow up?" she asked, laughing darkly. "You think I'm afraid to grow up? No, Kisame. Maybe I'm afraid of being a mother at sixteen, I was afraid to tell you, but I'm not afraid of growing up. I think I've already proved that I'm grown up."

"By getting pregnant?" Kisame demanded, clearing the distance between the two of them. He stared down at Elva, furious, while she looked to the side to Sasuke. He was smirking softly, watching the two of them, looking genuinely amused.

She scoffed, any preplanned speech she had been planning vanished. She backed away from Kisame, toward the door to her bedroom. "By having to put up with the two of you," she muttered, shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Elva lay on the bed, her hands resting on her lower abdomen. Her expression was one of deep concentration, her eyebrows furrowed. She had been holed up in her room for nearly three hours, refusing to come out. Every five or so minutes she could hear Sasuke or Kisame making small talk, and then it would be quiet again, the silence unbearable. But Elva wasn't paying attention to that, not at all.

She had felt something a moment before, and now she was frozen on the bed, waiting for something again. She could have sworn she had felt the baby kick, but she wasn't sure. It had never happened before. Minutes passed, and she began to doubt that anything had happened. Then she felt it. A small, soft kick. A smile lit her face, and she almost immediately felt tears fill her eyes.

Her hands fumbled in her pocket for her cell phone. The moment she had her hands on it, she was dialing Konohamaru's number, impatiently waiting for him to pick up. It was hardly through the second ring when he answered. "Elva?" he asked, his tone breathless. Just hearing his voice made her stomach do a somersault, her heart fluttering in her chest.

"It moved," she said softly, so gently that it seemed as if she thought the baby would stop moving if she was too loud. When Konohamaru didn't respond, she laughed. "The baby," she clarified. "It kicked."

"Oh." There was a certain emptiness in his words that dimmed Elva's excitement. "That's great." It didn't sound like he thought it was great. After a moment, he changed the subject, to Elva's annoyance. "How did they take it?" he asked, concern now entering his voice.

"Well…" Elva paused to think, then continued. "Sasuke actually took it pretty well. He didn't yell, or at least not much. He's disappointed, though. Of course. Kisame…" She had to force a laugh to lighten up the next part. "Konohamaru, I think he…wanted to kill me. Like, really. I've never seen him so mad, and I've pushed him before."

Now there was a longer silence. "Are you safe?" Konohamaru suddenly demanded, his tone growing obsessive and tense. "I can come if you want, Elva, I can—"

"No," Elva said, cutting him off. "If he sees you… That's not the point. You didn't give me a chance to finish. Sasuke…even though he's disappointed in me, and probably angry, too, I kind of think he was…protecting me from Kisame. He didn't leave us alone. Even now he's hanging around, waiting for me to come back out of my room. He won't let Kisame hurt me, Konohamaru."

"…all right." Konohamaru didn't sound convinced, but Elva appreciated him trying to, at least. After a moment, she could hear a smile enter his voice. "I love you," he said softly in the phone, so tenderly shivers ran up Elva's spine.

She smiled back, and she suddenly felt another kick. "I love you, too, Konohamaru."

**Author's Note:**

_**Sasori-Chibi **_ 0.o Um…right…do you have some hidden feelings for Itachi that I should know about? Lol. Oh yeah, that guy asking me to the dance was last year, and I was all "YAY A GUY FINALLY LIKES ME," 'cept then he stalked me…and then stopped talking to me…AND NOW I WANT HIM TO STALK ME AGAIN. I swear…I think I'm obsessed with him. In, like, an Edward Cullen way. It's creeping my friends out. LOL, nice basketball skiiiillzzzz.

_**AliKatNyah **_ Haha, yeah, Sasuke DID react really well…as I was writing it, I was all "This is…very…out of character for Sasuke." But then I was too lazy to rewrite it, so I'm all "WHATEVER. HE FAILS TO CARE SHE'S PREGNANT." …haha….hehe…not funny. Right. Haha. Hope you had a good Homecoming! And…WTF? ITACHI'S IN YOUR CLOSET? I want him…

_**The Commander**_ Lol, your teacher can't dress himself?? Now THAT'S hilarious…and priceless, if I may add. OMG. I'M SORRY I MENTIONED HOMECOMING. Now I feel bad…but don't worry, my Homecoming didn't go that well, either. I got sick halfway through the dance and had to go home. It sucked…

_**Valbino **_Well…Kisame's just a stalker or something, so he was waiting up all night for Sasuke to get back… xD Something like that. Stupid homework…BUT, that's not the reason I haven't reviewed so quickly this time. Wait…did I already say I was sick? I think so…but I still feel sick. So it's been…like…a weak. I don't know what it is.

**Sorry this was kind of a…VERY…short chapter. I feel sick… xP**

**OH. MY. GAWD. So today, I was at play practice (I said I was ASM, right?? I dunno…I forget these things), and one of my friends has to wear a pregnant belly. It's not really a pregnant belly, because he's a guy, but it looks like one. And he was doing that one pregnant gesture, like with one hand supporting the back…? Are y'all following me? And then I see him, and I'm just like "OMG, YOU LOOK PREGNANT."**

…**and then he stopped. But other people had been commenting on it. Yeah…that play's awesome. And my friend luuuurves poking his fat belly. It's HIGH-larious. Totally… I SAW "THE BUCKET LIST" TODAY. (How random…I'm not even starting a new paragraph!) And it was good…but sad. W00T! "He was buried on top of the mountain…and that was illegal." I loved the end!**

**Anyway…no idea what else to say. So…CHEERIO!**

**Review puh-LEEEEEASE!!**

**-Meri Umeko-**


	4. Pushed to the Edge

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own **_**Naruto.**_** It was created by and belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

Elva hadn't slept the entire night. She knew she should have. It was unhealthy not sleeping normally, let alone when you were pregnant. Still, she hadn't felt safe sleeping in the room, knowing Kisame was so close by. Of course, Sasuke probably had stayed the night – and probably was still outside then – but she hadn't been able to make herself go to sleep. As soon as she thought it was late enough to get out of bed around five, she went to get breakfast.

She counted on no one being in the kitchen. She didn't want anyone to see her, obviously. Why should she? It was embarrassing being pregnant. It was like having a tattoo branded on your forehead saying MISTAKE CENTRAL. Elva didn't need everyone knowing she was stupid. So when she got to the kitchen and saw no one else there, she was more than relieved.

She absent-mindedly started for the fridge, but stopped when she saw a box of donuts on the counter. Elva opened the box, picking up a donut with chocolate frosting and sprinkles. She was about to take a bite when someone took it from her. Looking up, she rolled her eyes, sighing. "What's your problem, Sasuke?" she asked dryly, folding her arms across her chest.

Sasuke twirled the donut around one finger. "I knew you were stupid, Elva, but really. A donut?" He raised an eyebrow at her, then leaned on the counter, a hand on his hip. "You need to eat healthily. A donut is just sugar, fat, and bread." Taking a bite out of the donut, he continued. "You realize you're eating for the baby, too, don't you?"

"Who cares?" Elva muttered, going to the refrigerator and taking an apple. She was about to take a bite when she saw Sasuke smirk, obviously finding it ironic that Elva really did care. Scoffing, she immediately threw the apple to the ground, glaring at Sasuke. "Why do _you _care?" she challenged. "Why aren't you angry at me like Kisame is?"

Instead of answering, Sasuke stepped toward Elva. Instantly, she stepped away, frowning, but he just continued on to the refrigerator. He took out a carton of milk and a package of strawberries, setting them down on the counter. He then went on to take out other ingredients, including eggs and vegetables. He went to the stove, turning it on, and got out a pan. Elva frowned again, suspicious. "Okay, what are you doing?"

"I'm making you breakfast," he said quietly, in deep concentration. He seemed to be trying to measure everything out perfectly before he finally started cooking. The dish – or whatever it was – was finished in a matter of minutes, and Sasuke took it and a glass of milk into the dining room, setting it down in front of a chair for Elva.

"Thanks," she mumbled, taking a fork and knife, cutting herself off a piece. It looked like an omelet, so she was game to try it. She liked omelets. The moment she tasted it, however, she discovered she didn't like this omelet. She spit it out, making a face. She was about to demand whether or not Sasuke was trying to poison her, but the second she looked at his face, she decided against it.

He looked disappointed, from what Elva could see. It was hard, sometimes, reading his face. Sasuke was careful about his emotions. After a moment, she turned back around, and took another bite. Despite the horrible taste, she kept on eating. It was healthy, at least, which was good for the baby. When it was done, she quickly washed away the taste with the milk. Afterwards, Elva smiled at Sasuke, giving him a weak thumbs-up. "Delicious."

"I appreciate that," Sasuke said, returning her smile. He looked like he was about to say something else, but then Kisame walked in. Immediately he stiffened up. Elva did, too, but she didn't feel like she was in any real danger as long as Sasuke was there. Still, the instant Kisame met Elva's gaze, the same anger she had seen yesterday leaped back into his eyes.

"I'm going to go," she said quietly, standing up and pushing in her chair. She would have normally brought her dishes to the sink, but she wanted to be away from Kisame as fast as she could. She was almost to the door when her cell phone started ringing.

She froze, knowing only one person could have been calling. She tried her hardest to resist the urge to answer the phone. She clenched her hands at her sides, so tightly she was afraid she would draw blood. One hand was on the door when Kisame spoke up. "Answer the phone, Elva."

Her heart pounded in her chest, and it took her a few moments to collect herself before she could get the phone. She slid it up, bringing it to her ear. "Hello," she forced out, her voice just above a whisper. There was a pause, and then Konohamaru spoke up.

"Are you okay, Elva?" he asked hurriedly, worried.

"I'm fine." Elva still couldn't make her voice any louder. She heard Kisame walking up behind her. She wished she could hang up, but then he would just make her call back. She only had a few more seconds before Kisame reached her. "Um, Konohamaru," she began quickly, her tone more urgent, "maybe you should—"

To her surprise, Kisame didn't take the phone. He put a hand over her mouth, cutting off the rest of her words. "Tell him you never want to see him again," he said, so quietly only Elva and Sasuke could hear. She could practically feel her heart stop. Her hand shook, wanting so much to just press the button, end the conversation, anything but say that.

"Kisame," Sasuke said, stepping toward them. "Don't you think that's being a little harsh? She doesn't actually have to say that to—" Something in Kisame's expression must have stopped him, and after a moment he said, "I guess it's not that harsh after all."

_It's just as simple as not saying it,_ Elva told herself, trying to remain calm. _There's no point in making a big deal about it. Just...say something else._ That gave her an idea. Like what all annoying little kids do when someone tells them to say something. She felt herself smirk, and then said into the phone, "You never want to see him again."

"Wait...what?" Konohamaru asked, sounding genuinely confused.

Elva expected Kisame to do something, to take away her phone, or yell at her. She turned around slowly, almost frowning. Kisame stood there, glaring at her. One hand was raised in the air, as if he was about to hit Elva. A moment later, Elva's eyes flickered to Sasuke, standing next to Kisame, trying to keep Kisame away from Elva. Elva was about to speak up, but Sasuke cut her off. "Just go away, Elva," he said sharply, his tone sounding forced. It took most of his strength just keeping Kisame from hitting Elva. That scared Elva.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Someone knocked on the door. Elva pulled herself into a sitting position, hastily wiping away the tears in her eyes, and cleared her throat. "Come in," she called out. At the last moment, she stuffed her open journal under her pillow as Sasuke walked in. He set down his katana, as he always carried with him now, at the door before looking up at Elva.

As always, Sasuke was able to tell right away that she had been crying. Instead of bringing it up like he always did, he ignored it, sitting down next to Elva on the bed, handing her a glass of water and a pill. Elva grimaced, but went ahead and swallowed it. Sasuke forced a laugh, looking ahead at the wall. "Yeah, I wouldn't like taking prenatal vitamins, either. They're the biggest pills I've ever seen."

Elva hated asking the question, but she always ended up asking it, anyway. She wanted to know. It was making her miserable not knowing. "When is Kisame going to let me go back?" She felt a lump in her throat, and tried not to start crying again. That's all she ever did now, for the past three weeks she had spent at Akatsuki, is cry. She hated it there.

Sasuke sighed. Elva knew what his answer would be even before he said it. "Elva—"

Elva cut him off, standing up. "_When_? You can never tell me _when_. It's always 'When he's calmed down.' When are you going to realize that he's _never_ going to calm down? He's going to hate me forever, Sasuke. And...and I can't stand not being in Konoha..."

She made herself stop before she said something that would make Sasuke angry. Even he hated hearing her talk about Konohamaru. "...when am I getting my phone back?" she finally asked, feeling defeated. The last time she had spoken to Konohamaru was the first morning Sasuke had tried cooking for her, when Kisame had been there. He had taken away her phone later that day.

There was a pause then, and finally Sasuke said, "...when Kisame has calmed down."

Elva stared at Sasuke, fists curled at her side. She opened her mouth to say something, then stopped, then started for the door. "I'm going to fucking _kill_ him," she muttered under her breath, grabbing the katana that was sitting by the door and heading out.

"Elva!" Sasuke called after her, behind her in an instant. "You can't do that." He grabbed the hilt of the katana, careful not to cut Elva in the process, and pulled it away from her. She spun back around, trying to get it back.

After a few moments of trying, she gave up. "I'll kill _myself_, then!" she shouted, eyes spilling over with tears suddenly. "Anything is better than sitting around and doing nothing every day for the rest of my life!" She reached for the katana again. When Sasuke backed away, she headed for her bedroom again, shouting, "I _hate_ you. I just want to go home!"

**Author's Note:**

_**Sasori-Chibi **_ He is, isn't he...oh, Itachi...SIGH. YAY FOR INNER TOBIS!!! Lol, I know I got the idea for the baby kicking somewhere...but I don't know where...MAN, THAT'S BOTHERING ME NOW...wow...I just realized I've been using a ton of caps in the review-reply-things (I did 'em backwards this chappy, to spice things up!!!). Lol...how funny...OMG. ZAC EFRON. (Read on later...)

_**AliKatNyah **_ Thanks!!! You know what? I DO feel better!!! I'm actually quite hyper right now...although...not in a happy way. More in an I'm-upset-about-social-problems-so-I'm-gonna-yell-at-my-cat kind of hyper. Lol...earlier this morning, my cat had NO idea what was coming to her...she's steered clear of me since that outburst. OMG. I'M SO FLATTERED. YOU TOOK THE TIME TO EXPLAIN ELVA TO SOMEONE! I LOVE YOU! (And everyone else, don't worry!!!!) AND GARRETT, TOO!

_**The Commander**_ I know, lol! But Elva's gotta have some faults, and repeating herself is one of them... But lol – WHOA I'M WATCHING iCarly RIGHT NOW, AND OMFG CARLY'S IN A BUMBLEBEE COSTUME! TALK ABOUT HILARIOUS! – whoa, sorry, I'm a bit single-track-minded these days. Anyway...don't worry, I'm having serious guy problems over here...behind my computer...lawl.

_**Valbino **_I KNOW, YOU SHOULD SEE THE GUY IN THE BELLY!!!! Every single night I see him, I'm just like "Got any cravings? I can run over and get something outta the vending machines." And then when he gets angry, I pat him on the shoulder and go, "It's okay...mood swings are natural." TALK ABOUT HILARIOUS.

_**Miso-Uzumaki-Namikage**_ 0.o Well...I hope Kisame's happy under the bed with his stereo, LOL. Haha, that just about made my day when I read that, so thanks!!! And...huh. Interesting theory. Will Elva die? WILL SHE? I don't know...although I do want someone to die in this story...don't ask why, I just do...I'm so evil, HAHAHA.

**OH. MY. FUCKING. GAWD. WHEN DID ZAC EFRON GET HOT? WHEN DID HE GET RIPPED? HIS EFFING VEINS WERE STICKING OUT, THAT'S HOW BIG HIS BICEPS WERE. AND THEN WHEN HE TOOK OFF HIS SHIRT, OMG, THE WHOLE THEATER WAS QUIET EXCEPT FOR ME, AND I WAS WHISPERING "Turn around, turn around, please turn around!" AND WHEN HE DIDN'T, I WAS ALL "Fuck Disney. Seriously. Disney sucks now." SERIOUSLY. WHY DIDN'T HE TURN AROUND? I WANTED TO SEE HIS SIX PACK!!!!!**

**Okay, don't get me wrong. Really, don't. I hate HSM. All of them. I hated Senior Year...but Zac Efron made it worth while. I mean, really. When did he get hot? He's beyond hot...he's...man, I was spazzing almost (ALMOST, I SAY) as much as I spaz when Edward Cullen is brought up. EDWARD CULLEN. And that's a lot to say, mind you.**

**Okay, along with the whole ASM-pregnant-belly-play-thing, this idiot girl dropped out TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE PLAY OPENED, and so now I have to learn all of her lines, all of her blocking...augh. I have to BE her. How STUPID COULD SHE BE? And, to make it worse, all of the chairs are dropping out, too, so the director's now the lighting chair, set chair, etc, and now I'm not ASM anymore, SO THIS PLAY IS LIKE, DEAD.**

**.. SHE'S SO ANNOYING, SO CLINGY, AND AUGH. SO IRRESPONSIBLE. I HATE PEOPLE WHO NEGLECT THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES. I was so angry at one of the play practices on Saturday (today's Sunday, so it was yesterday...) at the girl that I almost started crying...out of ANGER. Wow. I've never done that before.**

**To make matters worse, I got into a play at my school (THAT'S GOOD, DON'T WORRY). And I was so lucky to get in, because there's FOUR THOUSAND people at my school, and...yeah. And I should be happy, but now I have TWO characters to memorize, and...augh. Finally, when things start going right in my theater life, BAM. TOO MUCH PRESSURE. It's crazy.**

**And the stuff with that guy that's not talking me...it's driving me insane. Like, really. Almost every night I'm sitting in my bed, thinking...STARING AT THE WALL...trying to find things that I could do to make him talk to me again – because how else will this matter be solved? – and so I'm becoming an insomniac, being "blue" all of the time, and...AUGH. FRUSTRATION.**

**Anyway. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!!!! **

**REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**-Meri Umeko-**


	5. Placing the Blame

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own **_**Naruto.**_** It was created by and belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

Elva knew the second she woke up that something wasn't right. For one, the light was different. In her room at Akatsuki, there were no windows, so the only light she ever woke up to was fluorescent light coming from the hallway. But when she opened her eyes, there was _natural_ light in the room, meaning there had to be a window in the room. It didn't smell right, either. Not stuffy like Akatsuki. Cleaner. And the walls were a different color.

At that, Elva sat up in bed, stiffening. _Where am…_ She stopped thinking mid-sentence. She knew where she was. But she couldn't be there, not really. She closed her eyes tightly, taking a deep breath. _One, two…three._ She opened her eyes. She was still there. Still not believing where she was, she slowly got out of bed and went to the door. No one was in the hallway, leaving her to search the house. No one was anywhere to be found. Reluctantly, Elva decided to head outside, freezing in the cold weather.

She didn't have a jacket with her, or else she hadn't been able to find one in the house. The streets of Konoha were mostly deserted save for a few random people passing by. To Elva's luck, they seemed to have their own lives to lead, either not caring or not having time to find out new gossip and spread it. Elva reached her apartment building soon enough, and it was there that her plan went awry. Udon sat at the desk, Moegi and another teenager standing with their backs turned to Elva, talking quietly.

Elva was about to wrench her hand away from the doorknob when Udon looked over the unknown boy's shoulder, his eyes lighting up immediately when he saw Elva. He jumped out of his seat, causing apparent alarm in the other two. These were the times that Elva wished it were possibly to spontaneously combust and just disappear, cease to exist. Udon seeing her was torture, but three nosy teenagers was an entirely different problem.

Before she had a chance to start walking away, Moegi had the door open, smiling a little too warmly at Elva, pulling her into the building. For the first time, Elva was able to get a good look at the other teenage boy in the room, and instantly she felt a shiver of panic run down her spine. It was Sanyu. He didn't look exactly angry, nor did he look happy. His face was perfectly emotionless. With a sickening feeling, Elva realized just how bad this meeting could end.

Elva suddenly became hyper-sensitive to the fact that she wasn't wearing a jacket when all three pairs of eyes drifted to her stomach. The part that scared her, though, was that none of them seemed surprised in the least. Still, Elva self-consciously folded her arms across her chest, blood rushing to her cheeks. Moegi was the first to speak up. "Great to see you again, Elva."

Another wave of panic hit her, and Elva automatically stepped backward. After a moment, Moegi frowned, feigning worry. "Did I say something, Elva?" she asked, her tone just barely threatening. "I'm sorry if I scared you. I'm just _so_ happy to see you."

Moegi looked like she was about to say something else when Sanyu stepped forward, causing another instinctive step backward for Elva. He was silent for a beat, then started for the door, taking Elva's arm just as Moegi had and pulling her with him. "I want to talk to you," he said in a low tone. Another wave of panic.

Once they were outside, Sanyu slipped out of his jacket and handed it to Elva. He didn't say anything as Elva shrugged it on, but instead started walking down the street. Elva followed silently, meaning to wait for him to speak first. Eventually, he did. "Look," he breathed out suddenly, staring straight ahead as he spoke to Elva, still walking. "I…don't _hate_ you. I don't like you, but I don't hate you. I bet Konohamaru told you I did."

When Elva remained silent, he went on. "Moegi and Udon think I hate you, too – actually, they have a right to. I told them so." He forced a laugh. "I knew that if I told them, that eventually they would want me to talk to you _because_ I said I hated you. That one day half a year ago…I didn't leave because I was angry. I left because Konohamaru was there. I knew he wouldn't let me talk to you alone. Neither would Moegi and Udon, but I probably could've convinced them to."

"Why did you want to talk to me?" Elva finally asked when Sanyu didn't continue.

Now there was a much longer pause, when Sanyu seemed to be thinking. After nearly a minute's silence, he said, "I'm not sure. At first…I thought I wanted to talk to you because of Haru. But…now I don't know." He sounded like he was about to say something else, but then seemed to change his mind at the last minute, coming to a halt. "…it was nice talking to you. I hope we can again soon."

Before Elva could realize what was happening, Sanyu was gone, heading back to the apartment building. She would have followed him, but someone stopped her just as she turned to do so, taking her arm. She gasped, whirling around, trying to yank her arm back when she stopped. She could have sworn her heart stopped beating.

She pulled Konohamaru to her, trying to quench all of her heartache in that one kiss. The moment she felt his warm hands on her cheeks, her heart thumped loudly in her chest, restarting itself. She could have kissed him forever and never have any complaints, but then someone cleared their throat. Konohamaru pulled away quickly, reluctantly stepping away from Elva. To Elva's surprise, Sasuke was standing there.

"What are you doing outside?" he asked suddenly, frowning. Adding to Elva's surprise, he was acting especially _cold _right off the bat. "It's freezing. You shouldn't be out in weather like this."

Elva frowned, crossing her arms again. "And why shouldn't I?" she asked, eyes narrowing slightly. "Aren't I just like everyone else? I won't catch hypothermia unless you do, too." She knew she sounded stupid, though. Why couldn't she just let Sasuke say what he wanted?

Instead of responding, Sasuke looked at Konohamaru. "Um…" He cleared his throat, then took Elva's hand, squeezing it gently. "Let's go home, Elva. You must be exhausted."

Elva was about to give in until that last sentence. She wrenched her hand away from Konohamaru's, frustrated. "No, I'm not. I woke up a few minutes ago. Why are you both acting like I'm sick?" The silence had barely lasted five seconds when Elva suddenly looked down at her stomach and back up, glaring at them.

"I hate you," she said slowly, tears coming to her eyes as she said it. Before either of them could respond, she turned on her heel, walking back to the house as fast as she could.

* * *

Elva tensed the second she heard the front door open. She hadn't been in the house for more than three or four minutes, and she was already regretting what she had said to Sasuke, and especially Konohamaru. She knew why she had said it, but she hadn't meant it. It had just came out, and that frustrated her. She sat on Konohamaru's bed, quickly trying to come up with something to say, some way to apologize, when he was all too soon in the doorway.

Every thought that had been in Elva's head disappeared. She had been thrilled to see him out in the streets, but for some reason now, seeing him again, she suddenly started crying. She was _that_ happy to see him. Konohamaru, though, didn't know that was why she was crying, and was at her side immediately on the bed, his arms around her. "It's okay," he said quietly, even though he didn't seem to know what exactly was wrong.

Elva laughed, pulling away slightly – but only slightly. "No," she said, laughing a little. "I'm not upset. I'm just so glad to see you." Smiling, she kissed him, then pulled away again. "…I just _really_ love you," she added quietly after a long second

Suddenly Konohamaru was serious. He seemed to hesitate, then sighed, standing up. "Elva…" He trailed off. Elva tensed, sensing something was wrong. Then he shook his head, stretching. "You know what? Let's have lunch. I'll make something. Come on." He offered her a hand, but instead of getting up, Elva pulled him down.

She couldn't remember a time when she had tried to use kissing against him, but now was one of those times. She put her hands at the base of his neck and glued him to her, already feeling him trying to pull away. Her heart raced, her arms ached, it was so hard keeping him in one place. Elva grunted in frustration, but refused to end the kiss. She wasn't going to lose him.

It wasn't Konohamaru that pushed Elva away. Not too long after the kiss had started, Elva felt a sudden, sharp kick. She cringed, turning away from Konohamaru, suddenly sobbing uncontrollably. She bit her lip, trying her hardest to keep from crying out. All of her bottled up frustration was suddenly flowing unstoppably. She felt Konohamaru's arms around her again, but that only made her cry harder.

Elva had no idea how long she sat there crying, Konohamaru quietly holding her, when she finally started calming down. She wasn't exactly calming down, but it looked like she was. She was crying less, her tears slowly stopping, but the more she stopped crying, the angrier she was getting. By the time she had stopped completely, she was shaking, hyperventilating.

"I hate this," she forced out through her teeth, her harsh tone causing Konohamaru to flinch. When he hesitantly backed off, she stood up, fists clenched at her side. "I…" She faded away, then turned to Konohamaru, still breathing heavily. "I-I…hate this. I hate this…_thing_," she shot, glaring at her swollen belly. "I wish it would just die. I…"

Elva suddenly realized something. "I want to…get rid of it." She looked back up at Konohamaru, a frenzied look on her face. "That's possible, isn't it? I-I can get rid of it at six months, right? It's not too late, is it?"

"I…guess so," Konohamaru said slowly, looking scared. "I mean…are you serious, Elva? Don't you think that's a little…extreme? We could just give it away when it's born."

"If I have to be pregnant another second I'll kill myself!" Elva exclaimed, on the verge of tears again. "I hate being so miserable and helpless all the time. Everyone can see I'm pregnant by now. You don't realize how embarrassing this is. I don't want to have to go outside in Konoha every day and have everyone stare at me. I'm _sixteen_, Konohamaru. I'm not supposed to be going through this kind of thing yet! Please, I need you to be on my side on this."

"I am, Elva," Konohamaru said quickly, standing up as well. "I just don't…believe in that sort of thing. You're getting close to seven months along, Elva. You're almost to the third trimester. I mean…the baby can almost live on its own, can't it? Why can't you wait just a little longer?"

"How do you not understand this?" she demanded, both hands on her lower abdomen again. "I don't want to _give birth_, Konohamaru. If I tried, if I _wanted_ this baby, I could get through the humiliation and the act of actually being pregnant. I could try and ignore everyone talking behind my back for the rest of my _fucking_ life about how irresponsible I am. But…even if I did want this baby, I could never give birth, Konohamaru. _That's_ what I mean when I say I'm not ready for this. I can't go through with that."

"I understand," Konohamaru insisted, stepping closer to Elva. She stepped away, biting her lip, trying her hardest not to break down in tears again. "You're…being emotional, Elva. Sasuke told me what you…said. You just need to rest. This will all be over before you know it." The words flowed out like he had memorized them. Suddenly, Elva got a sickening feeling that he meant more than just the baby when he said that. "But either way, don't you think I should have a say in this? I am the father, after—"

"You don't _deserve_ a say in something that's completely your fault." The words had come out of Elva's mouth before she knew what she had said. She stormed out of the room before Konohamaru had time to react.

**Author's Note:**

_**Sasori-Chibi **_Haha, thanks. The play ended...all right, I guess. I mean...well, you can read more later. And it's fine to have a short review. Like...really...I'm still amazed that y'all LIKE these stories! Haha xD But...augh...what was I going to say...I REALLY CAN'T REMEMBER. Okay...anyway...I REALLY WANT TO TALK TO HIM, BUT HE WON'T TALK TO ME. Frustrating, eh? Anyway...yeah...SORRY!

_**Valbino**_ YES. DRAMA. And, yeah, I totes need to suck it up and go up to him one day. But it's so upsetting, because I'll see him in the hallways, and I'll either start talking really loudly to my friends while he passes or I'll get really quiet and stare at the floor…FOR LIKE, AN HOUR. Like…LEGIT. Really, and I constantly think about him in class and…I…think I have serious feelings for him. It's kind of scary. But tell me how your problem's going! I hope it's better!

_**The Commander**_ DO YOU REALLY HAVE A TWIN? And yeah, Nick's awesome, too. The show "iCarly" is one of my secret shames…DON'T TELL. Haha…but…uh….yeah. OF COURSE ELVA WAS JOKING. Of…course…no, that's too depressing. She would never do that. But, uh…yeah. I'M SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN SO LONG. I TOTES DESERVE TO BE KICKED OFF OF FANFIC. LEGIT.

_**Miso-Uzumaki-Namikaze**_ LOL. AKATSUKI. NARUTO PLUSHIE. Hilarious… But, uh…yeah. I AM SO SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS-LY SORRY! I'M SORRY IF YOU ALL HATE ME, AND I'M…totes taking up your reply time. I'm sorry! I keep doing that…ANYWAY. Haha…tell Itachi I said hey, mkay? Because he totes owes me…well…let him tell you. MYSTERY.

_**AliKatNyah**_ Like…kicking a puppy sad. YEAH. OR LIKE GIRL KILLING HERSELF SAD. Yeah…maybe like that, huh? Haha…um…yeah. Garrett's cool. Totes. Legit. YOU KNOW IT. Garret, YOU ARE AMAZING. Don't let anyone tell you different…but, uh, AliKatNyah, exactly how many times was he dropped on his…head…? I did that to my cousin once…BUT SHE'S FINE, I SWEAR. OhMyGawd, find a pic of Zac with his shirt off and I'll, like, put aside a day to worship you every year! And…well…yeah. I'll worship you anyway if the bunnies don't kill me?

**Um…yeah. So you're all probably raving mad with pitchforks and evil, killer ninja bunnies and stuff, but…I'M SORRY. I know I don't have a good reason but, uh…BLAME JAKE. I swear, most of the time when I'm at the computer now I sit around trying to convince myself not to text / call / email / Facebook / MySpace / AIM him it's insane. IT MAKES ME SO ANGRY…just…at myself, though. I can't make myself be angry at him. That frustrates me.**

**Okay, remember that whole "crying with anger" thing from my last A/N? Well, when OBAMA was elected president, I was crying with HAPPINESS, which has never happened before in my life, either. I was really happy. And I still am! He's gonna be an awesome president, I'm sure. He has aaaaaaall mah support!!!!**

**The play I was in actually ended pretty well. I learned the part all right, I made great friends with everyone in the cast, etc. Except the last two plays, on this Saturday and Sunday (for some reason, halfway through Saturday, for the second show of the day, it happened), I got pissed. I got really angry at one of my friends for no reason…well, yeah, I know why. Because he knows Jake and Jake WANTS to talk to him. EW.**

**Well, um…SUPER-DOOPER SHORT CHAPTER. LEGIT. Um…I really can't think of anything to say. But…OH. RIGHT. One of my…creepy friends…that's not really my friend, but he's kind of depressed, so I feel bad for him and talk to him anyway…WELL ANYWHOOS…he kind of asked me out today. **

**Not directly, but he was just like, "Hey, I made a bet with my friend that I could get a girlfriend. So…please say you're my girlfriend for a week? I want a girlfriend, and I'd like it to be you." And I was just like, "Um…sorry…I don't…want a boyfriend…?" IT WAS SO FREAKIN' AWKWARD. But…yeah. He was just like, "Okay, well…I guess I'll just…pay my friend now, then…" And then walked away. AND I'M SO MEAN, YOU KNOW WHY? TODAY WAS HIS BIRTHDAY, AND I TOTES REJECTED HIM ON. HIS. FUCKING. BIRTHDAY. I'm a terrible person. Like, legit.**

**Love always,**

**-Meri Umeko-**


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